Songwriting Surveys

I'm no longer really maintaining this section of the site, unfortunately. Mostly, this has to do with the fact that if you want to talk about things like this, you can now log on to the message boards and talk about it with a whole bunch of interested folks. I highly recommend that you do so! They're a really friendly bunch and I guarantee that you'll learn lots. That said, here are the previous surveys. You might find some of the responses to these questions to be very helpful to you.

Good luck!

• How does tragedy affect your songwriting?
  
  
• What song(s) do you wish you had written? Why?
  
  
• Constructive criticism is an integral part of songwriting - but there's constructive criticism and then there's just "pulling you down". How do you tell the difference? And where do you get your best constructive criticism from?
  
  
• How do you think songwriters will be affected by the RIAA/Napster court battle? Do you believe copyright will survive the evolution of the net?
  
  
• Has writing a song ever gotten you into trouble with a friend, lover or family member who thought one of your songs was about them?

• What activities would you suggest for a songwriting workshop and what activities have been successful with you in the past?

• Have you ever had a disagreement with a collaborator? How did you resolve the issue and what would you do differently to avoid a similar problem in the future?

• What do you think about MP3's?

• What are some typical mistakes you think beginning songwriters make? Do you have any advice about how these mistakes can be avoided?

• What is your first memory of music and how do you think it shaped the musician you are today?

• "Who are your favorite songwriters and why?" 

• "Who are your favorite local songwriters and why?"

• "How do you get past Writer's Block?" 

• How do you deal with rejection?

• "Where do you get your inspiration and what do you find 
  most inspiring when writing a song?"

• "When writing a song, which do you compose first - the music or the lyrics? And why?"

• "What do you do to keep your music original?"

• "How do you think computers and technology are changing the way we write songs?"

• What do you think about collaboration in songwriting?

• How have you gotten your songs out to the people in the industry who should hear them? What tips would you give to others?

• What tips would you give to young songwriters? Do you have any interesting online resources to suggest? Any books that might help?

• How much does a songwriter's personality influence your enjoyment of his/her music?

• What do you think are the differences between a poem & a song lyric?

• If Frank Sinatra were in his twenties today do you think he would be in Pearl Jam, performing with Kenny G. or working as an Elvis impersonator?

• What is your favourite song? Explain why.